Last month, I went up to Pennsylvania to visit a good friend.  Before we had arrived, she had baked a batch of brownies and had them cooling on top of the oven.  Instead of plastic wrap over the top, she had what looked like a giant rubber lily pad.  Of course we noticed and she explained that she had found this silicone lid at a small kitchen goods store in, of all places, the (inconveniently named) town of Intercourse in Amish country.  With nothing planned that morning except the Lancaster Farmer's Market, we headed out to the store to check out these miracle lids and other gadgets.   Here are five of my finds:
Tovolo Popcicle Molds
Make your own healthy popcicles in these very cute and eco-conscious molds!  Two wins in one! I got the twin pop and the rocket pop molds.
iSi Basics Flex-it 2 Quart Mixing Bowl
If you've ever baked anything with a stand mixer, you know how hard it can be to incorporate your bowl of dry ingredients, dumping them into the mixer bowl while the mixer is on.  I know that more often than not, I'm losing a good portion of my flour and sugar to my countertops, which is not good when it comes to the exact science of baking.  Enter the flexible bowl!


Joseph Adjustable Rolling Pin
If you're making cookies to decorate, you have to make sure that the dough is rolled out evenly to the thickness in your recipe, or else you may be stuck with some undercooked sugar cookies and some overly browned cookies - not pretty!  This rolling pin with removable end caps for desired thicknesses is a perfect solution.

Charles Viancin Silicone Lids
As mentioned in my intro, these heat resistant colorful lids come in all different shapes and sizes (e.g., lily pads, hibiscus, sunflowers, squash, pumpkin, etc.).  They seal tight to any smooth rim and create an airtight and watertight seal for freezing, refrigerating, or reheating.  Basically, it's the equivalent of earth-friendly plastic wrap.  I haven't baked anything recently, but I've been using the small size to cover my dog's can of food in the refrigerator.


Fusionbrands foodpod
Do you like hard or soft boiled eggs, but get frustrated trying to fish them out of the boiling water?  This silicone pouch/basket is a great idea.  It also works for blanching vegetables and steaming shellfish.


I got all of these items and more at the Good Cooking Store in Intercourse, PA.  If you are a fan of crock pot cooking, you may recognize the owner of the store, Phyllis Pellman Good, as the author of the popular Fix-it and Forget-It cookbooks.  If you can't make it to Intercourse or Pennsylvania, in general, I was able to find these five favorites on Amazon.com.